Better Than "Dallas Buyer's Club"

Audiences are not as shocked to see LGBT characters on the silver screen today as they were in 1993, when Tom Hanks played a gay Philadelphian struggling with AIDS. Characters such as Rayon in Dallas Buyer’s Club, for which Jared Leto won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor this past March, aren’t anomalies any longer. That acceptance is due in part to the many LGBT film festivals around the world, and the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF) is one of the most prominent.
MGLFF’s most crowning achievement (besides having James Franco participate in last year’s festival) is that the film schedule reflects the true diversity of the LGBT experience, proving that whether we’re straight, gay, bisexual, lesbian, or nonbinary, we all have to deal with our so-called lives and the trials and tribulations that make up the human experience.
Now in its 16th year, MGLFF has grown to an internationally acclaimed, ten-day fest featuring 65 films, including North American and world premieres; comedies, dramas, and documentaries; plus peripheral events such as cocktail parties and filmmaker meet-and-greets. Catch the North American premiere of Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks), the opening-night coming-of-age drama about a gay, blind teen, this Friday at the Colony Theatre (1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach). MGLFF’s closing-night film, Bananot (Cupcakes), a comedic look at the pop music industry, will screen at the Colony Theatre Saturday, May 10, at 8 p.m. But remember: Between the opening- and closing-night films, there will be 63 other flicks showing around town at venues such as O Cinema, Miami Beach Cinematheque, Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and the Miami Beach Convention Center. Admission to events costs $15 to $30, and film tickets cost $7 to $12. Visit mglff.com.
May 2-11, 1-10 p.m., 2014